Braided Crowns
by Aviaries
Summary: Nick wonders why Udonna always wears her hair like a crown. The answer brings back a memory.


"Okay. Question…"

Nick was standing in the corner of the kitchen where Udonna and Clare were making tea and waiting for some cookies to cool. (For some reason, his family loved tea and Nick didn't understand why.)

Udonna looked up at him "Yes …?" She didn't exactly know what kind of question he was planning on asking. She wasn't planning on having any serious discussions today.

"Your hair."

 _Oh. This._

Clare sipped at her teacup almost guiltily. "

"It's always in this braided crown and I don't understand how you do it or why."

Udonna wanted to laugh a little. She wasn't expecting anyone to actually comment on her odd hairstyle. She used to just tie it back and be done with it.

"It's quite simple."

"Which? Doing it or why you started wearing it like that?"

This time, Udonna actually laughed. "I have magic to do it," she replied. "That parts simple."

"And the reason? All the other people in the woods wear their hair down or loose or something. Is it because you're the forest sorceress?"

Clare, having just finished her tea, was about to duck out, but Udonna shot her a look and she quickly sat back down.

"It's because it makes me look like a princess, apparently," Udonna said finally with a small laugh.

"A princess?" Nick gave a quick chuckle and waited for something more elaborate.

"It was Clare's idea. When she was maybe eight or so, I taught her how to braid. She decided that it was hard to braid her own hair so she asked to braid mine."

"Only, I wasn't all that great at it," Clare added. "I wanted to braid it back into two strands and add hair in but it got all messy and I couldn't quite make it work so I just kept braiding it together and it eventually made a crown."

"Not this precise, though," Udonna noted. "It looked a bit more disheveled then. But…"

* * *

 _"It looks like a princess crown!" Clare exclaimed happily. She was clapping her hands together excitedly, proud of her work._

 _Udonna took a hand-mirror and examined the work. She did her best to keep a look of shock at bay. It was difficult._

 _A look of fear and hurt crossed Clare's face. "You… don't like it?"_

 _Minute panic overcame Udonna, and hastily she replied, "NO. I love it."_

 _Clare's face shone with pure joy and she started putting flowers in it._

 _The next day, Udonna had taken it down, only to come downstairs to see Clare waiting. "Where's your crown," she asked._

 _"It was hard to sleep in," Udonna replied gently._

 _"Do you want me to redo it?"_

 _Udonna, although very kind and patient, quickly answered, "no, that's alright. I'll do it."_

 _"Okay. Make sure it looks like a crown. I like it when you're a princess."_

 _This was when Udonna was thirty-three. Udonna thought that she was too old to be a princess, but Clare didn't seem to see age. She thought her teacher would be the best princess ever._

 _Udonna found the hand-mirror still on the table and did her best to figure out how the strands were supposed to go. After a full five minutes, she finally got it to look decent, and after another minute, she got it to look nice._

 _Clare was in awe. "I want to do that!"_

 _The young girl's magic was far from capable of doing such a thing. "How about I braid your hair down your back. Will that work? You can be a fairy."_

 _Clare nodded enthusiastically, having grown up loving the fairies of the woods._

* * *

"… it evolved over time."

Nick nodded slowly. He didn't dislike it. He thought it made his mother look regal, like something impossible. He knew she was a sorceress, but her wardrobe and her hair always made her look otherworldly. _That's because she is, idiot,_ he heard himself think.

"Alright. That's all."

"That's all?"

"Yeah. Yeah. I just wanted to know."

Clare looked at him briefly before looking back into her empty cup.

"I've got training so I'll be going now," he said, grabbing a cookie from the counter (despite the fact it was still hot (heat didn't seem to bother him)) and dashing off.

The room was silent for a little while before Clare piped up softly, "you don't really have to wear it like that anymore. I always wondered why you kept doing it."

Udonna smiled at her and said simply, "I like it. I get to look like royalty."

* * *

A/N: That's it! I've tried to find a way to write about Udonna's hair and how Clare inspired it, but all my attempts seemed a bit weak. I thought finally if I put the story in another story, it might work out. *softly* please review. :-) And thanks for reading.


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